EXCEL, Ala. — A family dog is recovering after being shot near the property line of a home on Highway 136 in Excel, and the neighbor accused of firing the shot has been arrested, according to the Excel Police Department.
The dog, a family pet of more than 12 years, was shot once with a .22-caliber round. The bullet entered the dog’s right side and exited near the front of the neck. Family members said the dog was spitting up blood and shaking after the shooting and credited quick care for his survival.
Excel Police Chief Mike West confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the animal was on the shooter’s property when it was struck and that the case remains under investigation pending applicable charges. Daniel Lewis Dixon, a neighbor, was later arrested and booked into the Monroe County Jail on a reckless endangerment charge, and the dog’s owners were cited for allowing the animal to run at large.